How to Make Dollhouse Miniature Jell-O

For last week’s American/Italian custom order, I had to make a miniature Jell-O dessert. In the past, I used resin but I decided to experiment with translucent liquid clay this time. Here’s how to make dollhouse miniature Jell-O using liquid clay, along with an overview of the resin method.

Liquid Translucent Clay Jell-O Method

First, you need an oven-safe mold of some kind. I have two different silicone molds in my shop that would be appropriate for making dollhouse Jell-O desserts: style A and style B.

For the liquid translucent clay method, you’ll need liquid clay (I use Sculpey brand) as well as chalk pastels to add color (any inexpensive brand will work) and polymer clay varnish to finish.

Squirt liquid clay into your mold and grate a small amount of chalk pastel in the desired color into the clay using a razor blade. Keep in mind that the more chalk you add the more opaque your finished piece will be. It will simply take practice to gauge how much chalk is too much, because you won’t be able to see the results until the piece has been baked.

Use a toothpick to completely incorporate the liquid clay with the chalk pastel using smooth motions so you don’t whip air bubbles into the mixture. Bake the “Jell-O” in a preheated oven (check the liquid clay instructions for the appropriate temperature) for ten minutes and let the clay and mold cool. Repeat this process with another layer of liquid clay added right on top of the first layer, which is now solid. If you want, you can also add little pieces of polymer clay fruit that have been pre-baked.

For my dessert, I did this process three times for a red, orange, and yellow layer. Once the final layer has been baked and cooled, flex the mold to pop the piece out and glue it to the serving dish of your choice. At this point, it won’t look 100% like Jell-O, but once you brush on an even coat of polymer clay varnish, your tiny dessert will look good enough to eat.

Resin Jell-O Method

You’ll notice the above piece is not completely translucent. That is very difficult to achieve with liquid clay, so if you require a more translucent piece resin is the way to go. You can buy resin kits online and at most craft stores. The kits contain two bottles, one containing an epoxy resin, the other a hardener. The two must be mixed together in precisely equal amounts in order for the resin to set properly, and when you’re working on such a small scale, it helps to have small disposable measuring containers on hand so you’re not mixing up overly large batches and wasting much of the material. My container of choice is a plastic medicine cup.

You will need to follow the manufacturer’s instructions specific to your resin kit, but the general process is similar to the one outlined above. You will mix up a small batch of resin in one color, pour that into the mold, and let it harden (this can take hours). Repeat this process with another color, and so on. Resin is generally quite shiny on its own, but I have also brushed polymer clay varnish on resin pieces once they have completely set (i.e. at least overnight) with good results.